TriCipher, Inc. Unveils First Flexible Strong Authentication Solution

SAN FRANCISCO, CA., RSA Conference 2005 (Booth #1504) – February 15, 2005 — TriCipher, Inc. today unveiled the TriCipher Armored Credential Systemâ„? (TACS), the industry’s first strong authentication system that provides the flexibility to adjust to changing attacks at the desktop without installing new infrastructure. Based on breakthrough, patented technologies, the TriCipher solution is the only one on the market that allows multiple strengths of authentication to be set up from a single system. This enables enterprises for the first time to match authentication strength with the risk profile of the user, application and data being accessed, and to migrate users to different types of authentication based on rapidly evolving attacks. TACS safeguards mission-critical applications and data with an appliance that is easy to configure and maintain, protecting users against threats such as phishing and dictionary attacks at a fraction of the cost of existing strong authentication systems.

“We chose TriCipher for strong authentication for our healthcare federation portal. We needed authentication that doctors, nurses and administrators could use easily, that supports our ability to meet HIPAA requirements, and was affordable to deploy,” said Rick Rubin, CEO of OneHealthPortâ„?. “TACS is the only authentication system I’ve seen that is both secure and easy to use. It’s also given us the ability to use different authentication strengths with different users, and change those strengths over time without replacing any infrastructure.”

“Burton Group clients are expressing increased need for stronger authentication. They are worried about compliance obligations, to be sure, but also simply want to better protect the sensitive IT resources in their organization,” said Trent Henry, Analyst, Burton Group. “PKI is a natural choice, but there are remaining concerns around its complexity, expense, and unfriendliness for users. Enterprises would be delighted to have PKI-style high assurance in a solution that offers a good user experience and deployment flexibility at a lower cost.”

Strong Authentication For The Real World

TriCipher’s unique technology is built on two core innovations:

The creation of a multi-part credential for each user. One part is stored on the TACS appliance at the issuer and the user keeps the other. Since the user doesn’t have the whole credential, an attacker can’t steal it from them.

The password is always used, but a second factor can be used such as secure storage on the PC, or removable secure storage such as smartcards or USB memory sticks. Or, if necessary, all three factors can be applied. This creates unprecedented flexibility in creating different authentication levels to match application, data or user risk while significantly reducing phishing threats and the need for complex password rules.

“No one knows what the next attack will be,” said Ravi Ganesan, Founder and CEO of TriCipher. “With TACS, for the first time companies can be ready because they can be migrated to stronger authentication without ripping out their existing infrastructure. We’ve found this to be a critical issue with our customer base because in addition to the obvious cost savings, it enables them to be proactive rather then reactive to new threats. And, the type and cost of the authentication can be matched to risk – which greatly streamlines security operations.”

“We all know password systems are too weak, but up to this point companies have had no practical alternative,” said Rick Friedman, Partner at ArrowPath Venture Capital. “TriCipher is the first strong authentication system that is easy for users and available at a price point that makes it suitable for large deployments.”

Availability

The TriCipher Armored Credential System is available now, sold direct.

About TriCipher, Inc.

TriCipher, Inc. provides strong authentication for the real world. The first authentication system that issues multiple types of credentials from a single infrastructure, the TriCipher Armored Credential Systemâ„? (TACS) allows for authentication strength to change in response to new threats without any infrastructure changes. Our patented technology fills the gap between authentication systems that are either not secure enough or too hard to use and deploy. TriCipher’s innovative approach to strong multi-factor authentication protects against phishing and eliminates dictionary attacks. Founded in 2000, TriCipher is headquartered in San Mateo, California. The Company was incubated as NSD Security before launching as a separate entity in 2005. Investors in TriCipher are ArrowPath Venture Capital, Intel® Capital, Trident Ventures and Wasatch Venture Partners. For more information, please visit www.tricipher.com or email info@tricipher.com.